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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. bound — certain
  3. mark — a trace
  4. cold — an illness
  5. bound — tied together
  6. row — a line
  7. row — to paddle
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. current — happening now
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. current — of water
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. mark — a grade
  19. current — electric
  20. bound — obliged
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. mouse — for a computer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com